In any written statement or proclamation, you can know that a particular clause is treated with utmost importance when it is repeated more than twice. In other words, when you see that kind of emphasis attached to a countdown of end of the world events in the Bible, you must treat it with the level of importance it requires.
As I said in a previous article, the 24th chapter of Matthew is my third most read prophecy besides Daniel and Revelation. One of the factors that elevated that prophecy to that level of importance in my estimation is the fact that a similar emphasis is placed on a particular warning - the warning is given to us in three different places in the same passage. And what is also interesting is the fact that this is the very first sign among a list of signs that Jesus gave in His intriguing countdown of end of the world events.
The important warning I am speaking about pertains to DECEPTION IN THE LAST DAYS. And according Jesus' prediction, these deceptions will be the work of many false prophets and false Christs.
In recognizing the danger to which His people will be exposed in the latter days, Jesus in His mercy has seen it fit to warn us three times in one conversation about these agents of Satan. The first statement that Jesus made in His prophecy of the signs of His coming is,
"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (vs 4-5).
Then later in the same conversation Jesus went on, "And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many" (vs 11).
The third warning came thirteen verses later when He further told them, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (vs 24).
This admonition must be very important to the salvation of our souls for it to be so often repeated in one conversation (another reason why I assert that prophecy is of salvational [salvivic] importance).
The real issue that this prophecy brought to view is the role that deception will play in the last days as a means of getting people to make the wrong decisions concerning their salvation and thus lose their souls.
All of us should know that Satan is a super intelligent being. What would take us a period of 4 or more years to learn in college can be absorbed by any angelic being in a matter of days! That's the level of intelligence we are up against! Therefore, we should not think of satanic deceptions in the end-time to be some clumsy imposture that can be easily detected.
For instance, if you are a deceiver and want to deceive a large group of people into believing a lie, which method would be most effective: getting somebody whom they don't know to deceive them, or getting somebody whom they know and who have influence over them to deceive them? Certainly, it would be the latter! Only those who have the most influence with you are capable of deceiving you.
I am asking this question because I want to put your mind in detective mode to think like the greatest deceiver of all time - Satan. If we in our own limited intellectual capacity can easily think up an idea like this off the top of our heads, you can imagine how much more superior the ideas that Satan, with his giant intellect, is capable of implementing in the last days to deceive the unsuspecting?
What I am trying to say is that when we read about the activities of false prophets in the last days anywhere in the Bible we must not envision some offbeat, fly-by-night evangelists or some infamous cult leaders who are more notorious for teaching outlandish falsehoods than anything else. If we can consider these to be ineffective deceivers, how much more Satan.
In light of Jesus' warning against false ministers of the gospel, we need to be more diligent and alert as students of the scriptures. As we continue our countdown of events leading up to the end of the world, we need to understand that this is not the time to be lazy thinkers and depend on the theologians for a knowledge of the scriptures. Only those who know the Bible for themselves and fortify their minds with its sacred truths will be able to withstand deception is the last days.